Grain cleaning and scouring machine.



No. 736,264. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903. 11,0. JEFFERS.

GRAIN CLEANING AND .SGOURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26 1902. I RENEWED JULY 11, 1903. N0 MODEL.

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H. 0. JEFPERS. GRAIN CLEANING AND SGOURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 26.1902. RENEWED JULY 11. 1903.

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' PATENT.

Patented August 11, 1903.

FFICE.

HERBERT C. J EFFERS, OF. BATTLECREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO ADOLPH J OHNSON, OF BATTLECREEK, MICHIGAN.

GRAIN CLEA NING AND SCOURING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,264, dated August 1 1, 1 903.

Application filed March 26, 1902. Renewed July 11, 1903. Serial No. 165,188. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT O. Jnnnnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Battlecreek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Cleaning and Scouring Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to grain cleaning and scouring machines, and has for its object the production of a special form of apparatus of the class wherein the grain is moved by gravity directly downward through the machinery and the hulls or bran drawn off pneumatically at the side.

I accomplish the object stated by means of the parts and their association illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view showing the upper and lower portions of the cylindrical casing each cast in one piece. Fig. 2 represents a side view, partly in section and somewhat enlarged, showing the cylindrical casing and exhibiting the screw conveyor. Fig. 3 is a top plan View, the stirrer-shaft and belt-pulley being omitted, and illustrates the mechanism and attachments by means of which the lower sliding gate is actuated. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing one of the spiders or stirrers.

The object of my invention is to avoid the principal defects existing in prior types of grain-scourers and to obtain a simple and strong construction which is compact, not liable to get out of order, and which is inexpensive.

The upper and lower portions of the main casing of my invention are marked, respective1y,1 and 1. Thecasing can be built up of annular sections' I am aware that it is not new to construct casings of such sections, and that feature forms no part of my invention.

2 is the main shaft, provided with two series of stirrers 3 4 and two scouring-cylinders 5 and 6. While I have shown as my preferred construction two sets of stirrers and scouring-cylinders, it is obvious that either one or any desired number of such sets could be employed.

7 is an inlet for the grain into the top of the main casing.

8 is a pipe for introducing water or other fluid.

9 is a gate for controlling the outlet 10 from the upper section 1 of the main casing.

, 12 is a traveler carried by the scouring-cylinder to facilitate the discharge of the grain through outlet 10.

The scouring-cylinder 5 is provided with a series of projections 13, and the adjacent in nor surface of the main casing 1 is provided with similar projections 14, which are preferably arranged in staggered relation to projections 13.

The scouring-cylinder 6 and the adjacent surface of main casing 1 are provided with projections 15 and 16 and are similar to the construction above described except that the two scouring-cylinders may be of different lengths and diameters.

The cylinder 6 carries a traveler 17 to facilitate the discharge of the grain through outlet 18. A gate 19 is provided to automatically control the outlet 18. 7

20 is a hopper or receptacle for receiving the grain discharged through outlet 10.

21 is a feed-screw located in the bottom of hopper 20 and automatically operating through mechanism hereinafter described.

22 is an exhaust pipe or passage through which the bran or hull of the gain is drawn as the scoured grain and the lighter detached bran or hulls drop from outlet 10 into the hopper 20.

23 is an exhaust pipe or passage through which is drawn the bran or hulls detached by scouring-cylinder 6. 'As the scoured vated grain bin or tank, or the passage 7 may be provided with a gate which can be set to furnish the desired feed.

To insure the casing 1 being constantly maintained approximately full of grain, I

provide the following automatic means for controlling the gate 19: Tothe shaft 26 of the screw 21 are attached two friction-disks 27 and 28, either of which can be brought into engagement with the friction-Wheel 29 by shifting the shaft 26 in the direction of its axis. A spring 30, bearing against the outer end of the shaft 26 through a lever 31,

fulcrumed on the frame, tends to shift shaft 26 and its attached screw 21 inward or to the left, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and thus to bring the disk 28 into engagement with wheel 29. When the casing 1 becomes filled and an excess of grain therefore accumulates in the hopper 20, the resistance of this excess of grain to the feeding action-of the screw 21 acts to press the said screw and its shaft outward or to the right, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and hence to bring friction-disk 27 into engagement with wheel 29. The gate 19is carried by a sliding piece 32, which is arranged to slide through guide-blocks 33. A recess .34: is provided in the sliding piece 32, and a projection or arm 35 fits loosely in said recess. This arm 35 is rigidly secured to the sector 36 of a worm-wheel and is adapted to be oscillated with said sector about the shaft 37. 38 is a worm secured on the shaft 39 of friction wheel 29. The feed screw is constantly rotated by any suitable means, as a pulley 40.

From the above description it will be seen that when casing becomes filled and an excess of grain consequently accumulates in the hopper 20 the resistance of such grain to the feeding action of the screw 21 will force said screw and its shaft outward and bring disk 27 into engagement with friction-wheel 29. The disk 27 will drive wheel 29 and through worm 38 and worm-wheel sector 36 will actuate the sliding piece 32 in a direction to open gate 19. In Fig. 1 it is shown that the gate 19 moves inwardly to close the outlet 18 and outwardly to open it. The sliding piece 32 is also shown in connection with the gate 19, and the operation of the sliding piece 32 is fully illustrated in Fig. 3. After the discharge past gate 19 has been suflicient to permit the excess accumulation of grain in hopper 20 to pass into casing 1 the resistance tending to force the feed-screw outward will diminish and the spring 30 will act to shift said screw and its shaft inward. The first result of such action of the spring will be to move disk 27 out of engagement with friction-wheel 29. This would leave the wheel 29 outof engagement with both the disk 27 and 28, and the gate 19 would not be shifted, but remain in its open position. In this position of the parts, should the discharge past gate 19 be greater than the supply of grain to hopper 20, the quantity of grain in said hopper would diminish with a resultant decrease in the resistance exerted by the grain against the feeding action of said screw. As the resistance of the grain is thus diminished, the spring 30 would act to shift the shaft 26 farther inward and finally would bring disk 28 into contact with friction-wh eel 29. The friction-wheel would then be driven by disk 28 in a direc-..

tion tending to close the gate 19, and thus lessen or stop the discharge of grain past said gate, thus regulating the discharge from casing 1 in a manner which will insure maintaining said casing approximately full of grain.

The operation of my device is as follows: The grain and water are fed into casing 1 through conduits 7 and 8, respectively. The stirrers 3 prevent any clogging of the grain and insure its even and uniform passage around the scouring-cylinder. After being subjected to the scouring action the grain and its detached bran or hulls fall in a comparatively thin stream from discharge-orifice 10. As the grain thus falls the bran and lighter particles are drawn into the suctionpipe 22 and the heavier grain falls into hopper 20. This action of the exhaust-pipe also tends to dry the grain, which is a desirable result. From the hopper the grain is discharged into casing 1, as heretofore described, and finally the scoured or hulled grain is discharged into conduit 25.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a grain cleaning and scouring machine, a main casing comprising upper and lower scouring-sections, a hopper located between the two sections and arranged to receive grain from the upper section and to discharge it into said lower section; an exhaust-conduit in communication with the space above the said hopper and arranged to remove the hulls and lighter particles inter mingled with the grain discharged from the said upper scouring section, stirrers and scourers in said upper and lower sections, a gate for controlling the discharge from said lower section, a screw conveyer located in the bottom of the said hopper, a shaft passing through the axis of said conveyer and secured to the conveyer, said shaft and conveyer being movable lengthwise, a spring bearing against the said shaft and holding it yieldingly inwardly, the reaction of the screw conveyer turning against the grain in said hopper shifting said conveyer and shaft outwardly compressing said spring, and mechanism and connections whereby the shifting gate.

of the conveyer-shaft actuates the said lower 2. Ina grain cleaning and scouring machine, a vertical cylindrical casing divided into upper and lower compartments, a vertical shaft and stirrers and scourers attached thereto, the said compartments having openings for the passage of grain, gates governing the openings, a hopper arranged beneath and shaft actuates one of said gates, and conduits by which hulls and light particles may be pneumatically removed from said compartments.

3. In a grain cleaning and scouring ma- 1 chine, a vertical cylindrical casing having a compartment provided with an entrance and outlet for grain and a conduit by which hulls may be pneumatically removed, a gate for closing the said outlet, a central vertical shaft within the compartment and scourers and stirrers attached thereto, a hopper placed beneath said grain-entrance, a screw conveyer within the said hopper, the said screw conveyer having an axial shaft passing out of the casing, a spring yieldingly holding the conveyer and shaft inwardly, the reaction of the conveyer revolving against the grain in the hopper shifting the conveyor and shaft outwardly compressing the spring, and mechanism' and connections whereby the shifting of conveyer and shaft actuates said gate.

4. In a grain cleaning and securing machine, a vertical cylindrical casing divided into an upper and larger compartment and a lower and smaller compartment, a vertical shaft passing centrally through both compartments, stirrers and scourers secured to the shaft in the compartments, the upper compartment having an outlet for grain opening into the lower compartment, a sliding gate for closing said outlet, a hopper placed in the lower compartment beneath said outlet, a screw conveyer within the hopper, the said screw conveyer having anv axial shaft passing out of the said casing, a spring yield-.

ingly holding the conveyer and shaft inwardly, the reaction of the conveyer revolving against the grain in the hopper shifting the conveyer and shaft outwardly compressing the spring, the said lower compartment having a discha ge opening and conduit, a sliding gate closing the said discharge-opening, exhaust-conduits opening into the lower compartment adjacent to said hopper and into the said discharge-conduit, and mechanism and connections whereby the shifting of conveyer and shaft actuates-the sliding gate of the discharge-opening of the lower compartment.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

" HERBERT O. JEFFERS.

Witnesses:

G. AYRES, A. JOHNSON. 

